A delegation of 30 Italian companies was in Belgrade in order to get to know opportunities for cooperation with Serbian companies on projects in the field of infrastructure, environmental protection, energy and information technologies
With the support of the Embassy of Italy, Business Forum was held in Belgrade, organized by Confindustria Serbia, the most important association of Italian production and service companies, in cooperation with GreenHill Advisors from Rome.
Opening the forum’s work, the Ambassador of Italy Carlo Lo Caso said that “Italy and Serbia enjoy the privileges of economic relations. For our part, the highest priority continues to develop our relations with Belgrade, which, among other things, was confirmed by the recent visit by Italian Prime Minister Konte, a record trade exchange, the participation of Italy as a partner country at the International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad and the constant arrival of new Italian investors. I am sure that in Serbia you will find opportunities for growth and development of your company.”
The President of Confindustria Serbia, Erich Cossutta, spoke about the sectors that were selected for the focus of this two-day forum: “Today we will talk about the sectors that together account for almost a third of the GDP of this country: the digital technology sector has a central position in the government agenda led by Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, so today ICT constitutes 10% of GDP. On the other hand, the energy sector accounts for 5% of GDP, while the infrastructure and transport sector is one of the most significant for Serbia, the transit and the manufacturing sector. This sector covers a significant part of GDP and is 15%, so it is quite a natural destination for foreign investors who are watching the new horizon and opportunities for development, taking into account the potential synergy with the digital technology sector.”
The focus of this business forum, which is 30 companies from Italy, was the opportunity for cooperation between Italian and Serbian companies on projects in the field of infrastructure, environmental protection, energy and information technologies, presented by representatives of relevant institutions.
The forum was also quite good to show the new potential of Italian investors that will represent business opportunities and investments in Serbia, such as the Italian companies that already exist in Serbia for the consolidation and expansion of business activities.
On May 16th, a technical workshop was held for members of the Italian delegation dedicated to financing the above-mentioned projects through programs supporting international financial institutions through EU pre-accession programs where financial instruments were presented by representatives of the Ministry of European Integration, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, , The Development Agency of Serbia and Vojvodina, the Innovation Fund and many other experts.ž
This two-day business event is another in a series of economic and cultural activities in celebrating 140 years of establishing diplomatic relations between Serbia and Italy and 10 years of strategic partnership between the two countries.